“...and I knew this is what I wanted to do. I told my “guidance” counselor and she said to focus on math and science...​" Eric Jacob, Owner, Eric Jacob Designs

What is your current title and how long have you been in this role?Owner of Eric Jacob Designs for 22 yrs

Can you explain how and why you ended up owning this business?I was a graphic designer at Florida Trend Magazine and got laid off so I figured I would just start my own business and never looked back.

What was your passion or greatest motivator?My childhood friend’s dad was a graphic artist and at 12 yrs old I saw what he did for work in his studio and I knew this is what I wanted to do. I told my “guidance” counselor and she said to focus on math and science...

What would you say your business is most known for?Integrity, transparency and face to face personal service. I do what I say I’m going to do and I don’t take on projects that I can’t do. I take what I do seriously and feel I have earned a reputation of being above average at it, but I like to have fun doing it.​What has been your proudest moment within this business?Honestly, it’s when a client compliments me on my effort, and those efforts could be as a simple branding, marketing campaigns or social media project to help them and improve their business.

“It’s all in our mission statement: advocating life safety for our customers in the communities where we live, work and service..." Chris Johnson, CEO, Piper Fire Protection

​What is your current title and how long have you been in this role?Chris Johnson, President and CEO since 2013.

Can you explain how and why you ended up owning this business?“His dad founded the company back in 1986 focused on construction of the fire sprinkler systems and Chris came on board shortly afterwards to help with the designing of the sprinkler systems. He worked alongside him through the rapid expansion of the company until 2013 when he was made the President/CEO of the company when his dad stepped down from that position.”

What was your passion or greatest motivator?“He is constantly keeping the families of his employees at the forefront. He wants to know that he has made the best business decisions to keep the company profitable and progressing forward so there will never come a time for him to have to lay any of them off due to lack of work.”

What would you say your business is most known for?“It’s all in our mission statement: advocating life safety for our customers in the communities where we live, work and service; committed to providing the highest level of customer service while installing, servicing and inspecting fire protection equipment designed to save lives and property as well as being a source of education for our customers about life safety systems.” ​

"We started in a small room in our home and within a few years purchased our beautiful, 1500 square foot studio space." Rob & Tine Moorman, Owners, Moorman Photographics

What is your current title and how long have you been in this role?Rob Moorman, photographer and production coordinator. Moorman Photographics is in it’s 22nd year.

Can you explain how and why you ended up owning this business?I fell in love with the photographic process. After attending 2 years of vocational training in photography and completing a one year internship, I opened Moorman Photographics. We started in a small room in our home and within a few years purchased our beautiful, 1500 square foot studio space. We are blessed with a great family of employees that take excellent care of our clients.

What was your passion or greatest motivator?My passion is serving people. I love being a part of the special events in people’s lives. I am also passionate about helping people grow their businesses through good quality images of their product, staff head shots and offices for their marketing needs. We have helped resorts, restaurants, tourist destinations and RV parks by creating images that showcase the quality and products these businesses provide. ​What would you say your business is most known for?Moorman Photographics is known for our diversification in services, as well as our professional quality with top notch service. Our greatest testimonials come from clients who have been with us from the beginning. It is of the utmost importance to us to continue our photographic education so we can serve our clients to the best of our ability and stay current in the ever evolving photography industry. What has been your proudest moment within this business?Our proudest moments are being able to give back to the community by donating our services to charities. ​

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"We decided to drop out of the corporate life and pursue our dream of business ownership." Laura & Gary Eaton, Owners, Top It Off Imprints

What is your current title and how long have you been in this role?Laura and Gary Eaton are the owners of Top It Off Imprints and Embroidery. We purchased the business 4 years ago. The business has continually operated for 32 years now, and we are the third owners.

Can you explain how and why you ended up owning this business?We always wanted to be entrepreneurs and own our own business. We lived in Orlando and purchased weekend place in Tierra Verde. The more we visited, the more we knew we wanted to live here full-time. Gary was a Global Director of Risk Management and Safety. We decided to drop out of the corporate life and pursue our dream of business ownership. We looked at several businesses to purchase before we decided to purchase Top It Off Imprints and Embroidery.

What was your passion or greatest motivator?We are passionate about meeting our commitments with our customers, and helping our customers to achieve their goals.​What would you say your business is most known for?The key differentiator for us is our attention and focus on customer service. We believe in providing excellence in customer service by acting with honesty and integrity to deliver quality products in a timely manner at a fair price. We do what we say we will do, and offer quick turn-around times.Many of our customers tell us that custom logo apparel is the most impactful marketing strategy they have employed to increase customer awareness about their brand or to market their special event.What has been your proudest moment within this business?This year, we were selected by the City of St. Pete Beach to print the 60th Anniversary tee shirts, and we were selected to print the tee shirts for the Beach Goes Pop event. It is an honor for us to be selected to print and provide the apparel for these significant community events, as we love the community and this enables us to become involved in the community. ​